Ended up on the streets of Sassari at 60. This is what is happening to sisters Bonnie and Silvia Boi, who have been living in their car with three dogs for 14 days . The two, originally from Cagliari, lived in a house in the countryside and, unable to pay the rent, had to leave the house with all their belongings still inside .
"And we have to remove them by the 28th. But where else if we have nowhere to go?" they say. "We don't have a single euro left," says Silvia, a 58-year-old former condominium administrator. The women live off the food provided by residents of the Li Punti neighborhood, and they manage to shower once a week because the manager of a bar allows them to do so.
The AEOPC animal protection officers, led by Manuel Chessa, have taken an interest in the story and intervened in recent days. Meanwhile, their lawyers, Paola Demuru and Giuditta Alessio, are seeking solutions to a dramatic situation. However, it began years ago. "In 2024, we had to sell our parents' apartment in Selargius due to a dispute," they explain. In the previous years, they had mourned the deaths of their father and mother, the latter from dementia, and in 2022, the death of Silvia's partner.
"We couldn't find anything in Cagliari, so we came here," Bonnie says, explaining her decision to move to the capital of the Turrita area in March 2024. After paying the first year's rent, Silvia suddenly loses her job, and the two find themselves without a means of support and unable to pay the rent. "I immediately tried to get busy. Washing dishes and cleaning, with Bonnie's help." One business fails, she says, and she doesn't even receive NASPI (Nassociate Unemployment Benefit). She makes do as best she can while doors close, leaving only the street where the two women are forced to live, alone, exposed to all the dangers that come with it. "We're asking for a house where dogs can stay, and we're looking for work. We're not picky."
The emotion is profound, born of shame, poverty, and complete isolation. "They abandoned us. The music stopped and everyone disappeared, both friends and family. Only one relative is close to us." Neighborhood residents approached the sisters. One cried: "Help them. You can't abandon people like this."
